The  Churchman. 


“Anacreontis  Carmina.”  (Parisiis,  1639.)  Seventeenth  Cen- 
tury binding,  French,  by  Le  Gascon.  Grolier  compartments 
executed  by  fillet  and  gouges  filled  with  stampings  from  Le 
Gascon’s  spirals  made  of  dotted  lines. 


Account  of  what  passed  in  a Conference  concerning  the  Suc- 
cession to  the  Crown,  MS.  George  I.  (1791),  English.  Eigh- 
teenth Century.  English  coat-of-arms  and  “dentelle”  bor- 
rowed from  Le  Gascon. 


Bookbinding:  Past  and  Present 


The  Revival  of  Bookbinding. 

By  Ernest  Knaufft,  Editor  of  The  Art  Student. 


Landscape  on  the  fore  edge  of  “Flora  Domestica”  (1825).  Painted  by  James  Ed- 
wards, of  Halifax. 


AMONG  the  objects  which  the  Librarian  of  Congress  enumerates  as  not 
eligible  for  copyright  is  the  book  cover!  It  is  also  to  be  noted  that  very 
few  histories  of  art  make  the  slightest  mention  of  bookbinding  or 
bookbinders. 

Yet  the  products  of  the  best  binders  are  worthy  to  be  classified  with 
the  products  of  the  miniaturist,  the  silversmith,  the  medallist,  and  the  keramist. 
And  to-day  at  auctions  the  masterpieces  of  the  past  bring  higher  prices  than 
ever  before.  The  revival,  especially  in  England  under  the  influence  of  Cobden- 
Sanderson,  and  on  the  continent  through  the  less  sane,  yet  still  impelling  in- 
fluence of  the  “Art  Nouveau”  movement  has  brought  binding  to  the  attention 
of  art  lovers  the  world  over. 

The  subject  divides  itself  into  three  interesting  divisions;  (1)  The  technique 
of  the  craft;  (2)  the  history  of  the  binding;  and  (3)  the  modern  practice  of  the 
craft. 

THE  TECHNIQUE. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  the  technique  of  bookbinding.  For  example, 
let  us  suppose  that  one  wishes  to  bind  The  Churchman.  The  different  numbers, 
consisting  of  twenty-four  or  thirty-two  pages,  are  called  the  “sheets,”  and 
ordinary  books  are  delivered  to  binders  in  “sheets.”  The  arranging  of  the 
sheets  in  order  is  called  “collating”  and  the  joining  them  together  is  the  stitch- 
ing or  “sewing”  which  is  done  at  “a  sewing  bench.” 

After  the  sheets  are  sewed  together,  two  pieces  of  heavy  cardboard,  called  book- 
binders’, or  mill-board,  are  cut  to  form  the  sides  of  the  book  and  are  sewed  to  the 


Roger  Payne.  From  the  etching  by  S 
Harding.  Reproduced  from  The  Studio. 


The  Churchman. 


Sketch  for  a book  cover  for  James  Tissot’s  “La  Vie  de  Notre  Seigneur  Jesus 
Christ,”  to  be  executed  in  modelled  leather,  by  Mme.  Vallgren. 


( nn-nnor  f vnP 


back.  These  sides  and  the  back  of  the  book  are  then  covered 
with  leather,  end  papers  are  pasted  in,  and  the  process  known 
as  “forwarding"  is  completed.  The  forwarder  is  really  the 
binder,  and  should  be  distinguished  from  the  finisher  as  the 
French  do,  by  calling  the  latter  the  gilder  or  doreur.  In  Eng- 
lish the  decorator  of  a book  is  known  as  a binder,  and  the 
word  is  so  employed  in  this  article. 

The  book  is  then  turned  over  to  the  “finisher,”  who 
decorates  it.  “Finishing"  may  be  explained  as  follows: 

The  design  may  be  drawn  on  paper  and  traced  through  on 
to  the  cover  of  the  book  with  a pencil,  or  pressed  through  with 
the  actual  “tools”  that  are  to  stamp  the  design.  The  “stamp- 


usually used) 
of  the  words 
T h e Church- 
man, insert 
them  in  a 
bradawl 
handle,  heat 
them,  and  one 
by  one  stamp 
them  in  the 
leather. 

Or  you  may 
put  all  the 
types  into  the 

pallet  (in  England  called  a “typeholder”),  like  the  typeholder 
used  for  hand-stamping,  and  print  the  two  words  The  and 


Panel  Stamp  of  the  Rouen  printer,  Jehan 
Moulin.  (From  a book  in  Worcester  cathe- 
dral.) Up  till  recently  it  was  generally  be- 
lieved that  stamped  bindings  of  this  kind 
were  executed  subsequent  to  the  discovery 
of  printing.  Mr.  Weale  has  made  an  investi- 
gation of  the  subject,  however,  and  nas 
found  stamped  bindings  which  he  attrib- 
utes to  the  twelfth  century,  when  England 
led  the  continent  in  the  production  of  this 
genre.  It  is  remarkable  that  covers  should 
have  thus  been  printed  and  pictures  and 
reading  matter  printed  (we  refer  to  the  block 
books)  three  centuries  before  the  invention  of 
movable  type.  In  the  above  specimen  the 
entire  panel  is  printed  probablv  from  one 
die:  but  antique  stamped  bindings  were 
often  composed  of  four,  eight,  or  more  dies. 


or  “fillet,”  while  what  in  England  is  called  a 
“pallet”  in  America  is  called  a “fillet”).  If  th€ 
segment  of  a circle  is  to  be  made,  you  may  take 
a gouge  and  press  it  into  the  leather.  This  to 
is  also  called  a “gouge”  by  the  bookbinder. 

Up  to  recent  times  segments  of  circles  hav 
been  mostly  made  by  gouges,  but  to-day,  in 
England,  Miss  McColl  has  produced  some  very 
original  bindings  in  which  the  segments  of 
circles  are  made  with  a small  roll  (or  in  Eng- 
lish parlance  a “fillet”).  To  put  the  lettering 
on  the  book  you  may  take  the  twelve  types 


Binding  by  Miss  E.  M.  McColl.  This  binding  is  executed 
almost,  if  not  entirely,  with  a wheel  about  the  size  of  a copper 
cent.  The  design  is  by  Miss  McColl’s  brother,  D.  S.  McColl. 

ing”  is  done  by  the  leather  being  first  dampened  and  the 
“tool,”  usually  of  brass  or  copper,  heated,  and  pressed  into  the 
leather.  If  you  wish  to  make  a series  of  dots  on  the  leather 
you  may  take  a nail  which  would  correspond  to  a tool  and 
press  it  into  the  leather.  If  you  wish  to  make  a straight  line 
you  may  take  a screw-driver,  heat  it  and  press  it  into  the 
leather,  moving  it  forward  to  extend  your  line.  Or  you  may 
take  a copper  cent,  insert  it  in  a holder  in  place  of  the  tracing 
wheel  used  by  the  dressmaker  to  outline  patterns,  and  trace 
your  straight  line  with  this  cent.  This  tool  would  be  known 
in  this  country  as  a “finishing  roll”  (in  England  as  a wheel 


"Le  Rommant  de  la  Rose.”  A modern  French  Mosaic  bind- 
ing by  Cuzin— the  elder— in  imitation  of  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury Mosaic  bindings  of  Padeloup. 


The  Churchman 


\ \Wi-h 

J^HUECHMAN  With  One 
impression.  The  first 
method  is  that  which 
was  employed  by  the 
,old  masters  in  binding. 

Now,  the  home-made 
tools  heretofore  men- 
tioned are  almost  ex- 
actly like  the  profes- 
sional binders’  tools, 
except  that  in  the  place 
of  the  single  nail  the 
binder  has  a number  of 
brass  or  copper  stamps, 
on  the  ends  of  which 
are  engraved  all 
I sorts  of  devices,  as 
-/-seen  in  “King  Floras” 
t diagram.  In  addition  he 
'-'has  another  instru- 
ment  for  making 
" straight  lines,  called 
(in  this  country)  a 
“fillet”  (but  in  Eng- 
land “a  pallet”).  It  is 
a sort  of  a crescent  on 
a handle  and  marks  on 
the  leather  by  a cradle 
motion.  If  it  is  a 
single  - line  pallet,  it 
makes  a single  line,  if 
a double-line  pallet,  a 
double  line.  Or  it  may 
have  a repeat  design 
upon  it,  which  stamps 
a continuous  line  of 
devices.  Another  in- 
strument for  making  a 
line  of  repeated  devices 
or  patterns  is  a “roll” 
or  “roulette”  like  the 
plain  finishing  roll,  but 
with  a repeat  pattern 
cut  upon  it.  A pattern 
put  on  by  a roulette  is 
not  considered  so  fine 
as  a design  impressed 
by  a single  tool  only, 
and  repeated  by  sep- 
arate “stampings”  or 
“toolings.” 

After  the  design  is 
impressed  on  the 
leather  it  is  ready  to  be 
colored.  This  is  done  either  by  a process  called  “blind-tooling” 
or  by  gilding.  Blind-tooling  consists  of  nothing  more  than 
going  over  the  impression  one  or  more  times  with  a heated 
tool  which  scorches  the  leather  to  a rich  brown  color  or  almost 
black.  This  style  is  called  “antique”  or  “monastic”  finishing. 


“New  Testament,”  etc.  (London,  1643.)  Charles  I.  English, 
Seventeenth  Century.  Red  velvet,  silver  mounts,  medallions  of 
King  and  Queen  in  repousse.  The  intelligent  student  of  the 
bibliopegic  art  will  realize  that  a binding  of  this  kind  is  not  to 
be  compared  with  the  books  of  to-day  which  are  intended  to 
be  placed  upright  on  the  library  shelf.  Such  books  were  carried 
in  the  hand  and  the  finisher’s  art  is  virtually  that  of  the 
jeweller  or  silversmith. 


Such  blind  tooling  is 
usually  executed  on 
calf,  while  levant  or 
Turkey  morocco,  which 
is  always  supposed  to 
be  goat  skin,  is  used 
to-day  for  gold  tooling. 

If  the  book  is  to  have 
gilt  finishing,  the  de- 
sign is  gone  over  with 
a brush  charged  with  a 
sizing  or  “glaire,” 
which  is  usually  noth- 
ing more  than  the 
beaten  white  of  an  egg. 
This  having  dried,  the 
gold  leaf  is  laid  over 
the  design  and  the 
warm  “stamp,”  “fillet” 
or  “pallet”  again 
pressed  into  the  first 
indentation.  The  pres- 
sure of  the  heat  makes 
the  gold  stick  to  the 
leather;  the  surround- 
ing superfluous  leaf  be- 
ing dusted  off,  the  gold 
is  afterwards  “bur- 
nished,” to  make  it  ap- 
pear bright. 

This  is,  briefly,  the 
ordinary  method  of 
binding.  But  there  are 
several  additional 
methods.  These  are  as 
follows: 

In  “mosaic  work” 
more  than  one  colored 
leather  is  used.  The 
English  and  French 
method  is  similar  to 
that  of  “applique”  in 
embroidery;  that  is, 
the  second  leather  is 
pasted  on  to  the  cover 
of  the  book,  the  leather 
being  first  wetted  and 
pared  very  thin.  In 
the  Viennese  method 
the  process  is  some- 
what different.  Its 
principle  is  that  of  true 
mosaic,  for  the  cover 
leather  is  cut  out  and 
removed  and  the  second  leather  is  laid  into  its  place,  as  in 
wood-inlay  or  marquetry. 

Another  method  is  that  of  modelling  the  cover  with  a metal 
modelling  tool.  The  design  is  first  traced,  the  leather  wetted, 
and  then  the  main 
outline  cut  with  a 
sharp  knife.  (More 
or  less  paring  with  a 
knife  may  be  done  in 
finishing,  but  to 
bring 
out  a 
d e s i g n 
with  as 
much 
relief 
as  an  ordinary  medal 
nothing  more  is 
necessary  than  to 
press 
into  the 
wet 
1 e a t ti- 
er with 
a tool.) 

The  French  design- 
ers are  very  expert 
in  modelling  in 
leather,  which  they 
call  cuir  cisele. 

One  of  the  reasons 
that  the  old  bookbinders 
did  not  use  the  mosaic 
method  more  frequently 
was  that  in  their  method 


“Passionale,”  etc.,  (MS.,  circa  1100  a.d.)  Henry  I.  English 
Twelfth  Century.  Wooden  boards  covered,  probably,  with  deer 
skin,  the  figure  in  cast  bronze.  The  remark  made  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Charles  I.  New  Testament  applies  also  to  this 
book. 

Byzantine  manuscript  missals  for  centuries  prior  to  the  time 
of  printing  were  bound  in  covers  usually  of  ivory  on  which 
Scriptural  scenes  were  depicted  in  relief. 


Enguerrand  de  Monstrelet  in 
bis  library.  A mediaeval  library. 
The  tomes  are  on  a circular  lec- 
tern and  when  closed  the  book 
shows  its  sides. 


The  Churchman. 


“Imitation  of  Christ.’’  French,  Seventeenth  Century.  Mosaic,  probably  by 
Padeloup,  perhaps  by  Derome,  perhaps  by  Monnier.  This  is  probably  one  of  the 


most  famous  Mosaic  bindings  in  existence, 
red,  pink,  green,  gold,  black  and  brown. 


The  ground  work  is  citron,  the  inlays 


of  working  there  was  a tendency  for  the  leather  to  part  in  time 
at  the  intersections  of  the  lines.  This  parting  of  the  leather, 
Messrs.  Schleuning  and  Adams  of  this  city  claim  they  have 
overcome,  and  they  predict  a revival  of  the  method. 

An  advantage  of  the  mosaic  over  the  veneer  is  that  in  the 
former  the  two  leathers,  besides  being  flush,  keep  the  integrity 
of  their  grain.  In  the  veneer  method  there  is  just  a slight  irri- 
tation in  handling  the  book  to  know  that  one  leather  is  higher 
than  the  other;  and  besides,  when  the  binder  puts  the  book  in 
the  press  the  pressure  is  of  course  greater  on  the  raised  parts 
than  on  the  original  surface  and  the  result  is  that  the  original 
grain  is  pressed  out  of  the  veneer  leather.  Also,  the  veneer 
leather,  like  tital  leather,  will  in  time  dry  up  and  curl  off. 

Messrs.  Schleuning  and  Adams  have  obtained  some  interest- 
ing Mosaic  results.  A volume  bound  in  green  has  a floral  design 
in  which  the  leaves  of  a darker  green  are  laid  in  without  any 
tooling.  Another  cover  is  a copy  of  Matthew  Prior's  poems 
bound  in  dark  green  with  mosaic  bands  of  red  and  blue  and  a 
floral  pattern  made  from  but  one  tool — a second  tool  making 
a few  dots  on  the  upper  corners,  the  simplicity  of  the  design 
being  commendable.  Both  books  have  leather  doublures  and 
are  bound  in  levant. 

In  the  early  days  of  bookbinding,  the  leather  covers  were 
also  stamped  in  a press  from  a single  stamp  on  which  a device 
was  engraved — very  often  the  printer’s  own  device.  But  this 
method  is  now  used  mainly  in  connection  with  commercial 
binding. 

The  object  of  commercial  binding  is  to  repeat  the  design 
from  a thousand  to  three  hundred  thousand  times;  the  cover 
is  printed  in  the  printing  press  much  as  the  type  in  the  book 
is  printed  (though  the  gold  is  printed  in  a stamping  press). 
Colored  ink  is  used,  and  a separate  block  is  made  for  each  color. 
The  artist  makes  his  design  on  paper,  and  from  this  the  dies, 
up  to  recently,  were  always  cut  by  hand  on  brass,  though  at  the 
present  day,  photo-engraved  plates  are  often  used.  It  is  need- 
less to  mention  that  most  commercial  covers  are  printed  on 
cloth  and  not  leather. 

In  printing  white  in  former  days  it  was  customary  to  run 
the  cover  through  the  press  from  two  to  seven  times  in  order 
to  cover  the  cloth  thoroughly,  else  the  color  would  look 
“starved”  or  weak.  To-day,  however,  a single  operation  is  all 
that  is  necessary,  since  the  white  is  not  printed  from  ink  but 
from  a leaf  of  white,  which  is  worked  like  gold  leaf. 


r- 

To  resume  the  consideration  of  handbins- 
ing, let  us  consider  other  methods  of  decorat- 
ing the  book. 

Besides  covering  the  sides  and  back  of  the 
book  with  ornament,  the  binder  may  decoratW 
the  inside  of  the  cover  by  substituting  leathern 
for  the  usual  end  papers  and  working  his  orna- 
mental tooling  on  that.  Such  a decorated 
leatber  is  called  a doublure.  Many  owners  of 
libraries  prefer  to  have  the  sides  of  the  books 
plain,  since  these  are  hidden  on  the  shelves, 
and  let  the  binder  put  his  decoration  on  the 
doublure.  The  specimen  we  give  of  Chambolle- 
Duru’s  work  is  a doublure  decoration. 

In  marbling  the  end  papers  the  bookbinder 
may  also  display  individual  taste  and  in- 
genuity, though  to-day  he  usually  buys  his 
marbled  paper  already  decorated.  In  the  old 
days  he  generally  made  his  own  paper.  The 
process  of  marbling  is  a fascinating  one.  A 
trough  is  filled  with  gum  water;  on  this  several 
colors,  ground  in  oil,  are  thrown;  on  the  prin- 
ciple that  oil  and  water  do  not  mix,  these  oily 
colors  float  on  the  top  of  the  gum  water  (gum 
tragacanth  or  gum  dragon).  A comb  is  then 
passed  through  the  colors  and,  according  to 
the  different  gyrations  given  it,  patterns  are 
produced  in  the  floating  color.  A sheet  of 
paper  is  then  laid  upon  this,  the  pattern  trans- 
ferred upon  it  (the  paper  soaking  up  the  oily 
colors)  and  marble  paper  is  the  result.  The 
public  are  perhaps  prejudiced  against  certain 
conventional  patterns  of  marbling  (which  not 
a little  resemble  oil  cloth).  These  patterns  are 
really  the  result  of  using  poor  colors,  and  fre- 
quently plain  paper  or  silk  is  ordered  instead; 
but  as  a matter  of  fact  some  of  the  recent 
French  marbled  papers,  where  the  stock  is 
Michelet  charcoal  paper  and  where  light  tints 
are  used,  are  charming  in  effect. 

Another  adjunct  to  bookbinding  is  the  orna- 
mental book  edge.  The  common  way  is  to 
cover  the  edge  solely  with  red  or  gold.  Some- 
times, however,  the  gold  is  put  on  over  the 
ornamentation,  or  an  ornamentation  is  put  over 
the  gold.  When  edges  are  tooled  they  are  said  to  be  gauffered. 
Sometimes  the  edges  are  painted  with  a landscape,  or  figure 
subjects  which  are  covered  with  gold,  in  which  case  the  land- 
scape shows  when  the  book  is  slightly  opened.  James  Ed- 
wards, of  Halifax,  was  a binder  who  used  this  form  of  orna- 
mentation extensively.  We  reproduce  one  of  his  ornamented 
edges. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  BOOKBINDING. 

Historically  considered,  bookbinding  begins  with  the  middle 


“Poems  by  Dante  Gabriel  Rossetti.”  From  the  original  bind- 
ing, by  T.  J.  Cobden-Sanderson.  Exhibited  at  the  Arts  and 
Crafts  exhibition.  London,  1S93. 


The  Churchman. 


classic  books  were  nearly  always 
wtounted  on  rolls.  In  most  cases  the  bind- 
ers were  the  monks,  who  were  likewise 
caligraphers  and  illuminators  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  book.  The  books  were  frequent- 
ly bound  in  wood  which  might  or  might  not 
be  covered  with  leather.  Other  materials 
t were  used,  as  metal  and  ivory.  The  Henry  I. 

" “Passionale”  represents  this  kind  of  bind- 
ing. A breverie  for  “'my  lady’s”  prie  Dieu 
might  also -be  bound  in  velvet  or  satin  and 
embroidered.  But  for  the  library  book, 
pigskin,  vellum,  and  morocco  soon  became 
the  favorite  materials.  The  last  two  were 
popular  in  Italy  during  the  Renaissance 
when  Aldus  produced  the  beautiful  volumes 
from  his  press. 

We  know  that  nearly  every  ornamental 
“motive”  of  the  Renaissance  came  from  the 
East,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  the  book- 
binders of  Italy,  when  casting  about  for 
inspiration,  found  it  in  the  Eastern  book 
covers  with  arabesque  interlacing.  Hence 
the  origin  of  panels,  compartments,  guil- 
loches  and  spirals,  which  have  dominated  the  book 
cover  from  the  time  of  Grolier  (1479-1565)  to  the 
present. 

Grolier  was  an  art  patron  who  possessed  a large 
collection  of  books,  mostly  printed  by  Aldus. 
Though  he  lived  in  France,  he  imported  Italian 
workmen  and  had  most  of  his  books  bound  with 
tooling  inside  of  Moorish  interlacing  bands  which 
were  inlaid  or  painted.  To  the  design  was  added 
his  motto,  “Io  Grolier  et  amicorum.”  (“For  Jean 
Grolier  and  his  friends”).  Perhaps  he  relied  upon 
the  superiority  of  his  bindings  over  those  of  his 


friends  to  identify  his  books  and  thus  guarantee 
their  return.  The  Grolier  bindings  were  princi- 
pally executed  with  gouges,  and  fillets,  a few 
stamps  filling  the  space  between  the  panels. 

Prior  to  Grolier’s  bindings  Aldus  had  done 
some  binding  in  his  own  printery,  wherein  for  em- 
bellishments he  had  used  some  of  his  own  typo- 
graphical ornaments;  as  the  fig  leaf,  acorn,  the 
anchor,  and  the  Maltese  cross.  These  tools  were 
“solids”  and  solid  tools  are  usually  called 
“Aldine”  tools.  Later  on  the  same  or  similar 
tools  were  cut  in  “outline”  only,  said  to  be  “hol- 


low” tools.  Later  still 
the  tools  were  made  to 
stamp  the  device  in 
parallel  lines.  These 
are  called  “azured” 
tools,  because  in 
heraldry  the  color  blue 
is  represented  by  paral- 
lel lines. 

The  Eves — Nicholas, 

Clovis,  and  Robert — 
were  binders  for  De 
Thou  (1566-1617)  the 
historian,  a friend  of 
Grolier.  They  use 
smaller  compartments 
than  the  Grolier,  and 
filled  their  panels  more 
lavishly  with  stamps. 

Later  on  the  binder 

Le  Gascon  had  his  stamps  cut  in  the  form  of  dotted  outlines.  Le  Gascon 
is  the  favorite  of  most  binders.  His  frameworks,  more  or  less  modifica- 
tions of  the  Grolier  compartments,  hold  the  design  together  well,  and  the 
spaces  be- 


“Kitig  Florus  and  the  Fair  Jehane.”  Tooled  and 
inlaid  in  thirteen  colors,  by  J.  Anderson,  Copen- 
hagen, from  a design  by  N.  Fristrup.  By  comparing 
this  illustration  with  the  diagram  of  the  tools  used 
in  executing  it,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  the  design  is 
built  up  of  tiny  fragments.  It  is  probable  that  the 
figure  in  the  medallion  is  mosaic  while  the  lower 
panel  containing  the  title  “Jehane”  is  for  the  most 
part  carved. 


tween 


tooling. 

The  Pade- 
loups,  a fam- 
ily of  binders 
founded 
by  Nicholas 
P a d e 1 o u p, 
(circa  1700) 
who  worked 
for  more 
than  a cen- 
tury and  a 
half,  are  noted 
for  their 
mosaic  covers. 
Previous- 
ly,  the  inter- 
lacing bands 
had  often  been 
painted, 
or  if  in  mosaic, 
there  was  lit- 
tle or  no 
other  inlay  on 
the  cover;  but 
the  Padeloups 
not  only  inlaid 
them,  but  they 
intro  d need 
actual  pictures 
on  the  cover 
in  the  manner 


Gil.  IIAPEPTA,  etc.  (Londini,  1632),  Charles  I.  English, 
Seventeenth  Century.  Vellum,  tooled  in  gold;  semee  (a 
sowing)  of  ermine. 


of  stained 
glass.  Their 
bindings 
are  objected  to 
bv  the  purists. 


"Common  Prayer.”  (Cambridge,  1760.)  Queen  Charlotte. 
English.  Eighteenth  Century.  Bound  by  James  Edwards,  of 
Halifax.  Vellum  rendered  transparent  and  the  design  painted 
on  the  under  side,  thus  is  preserved  fresh  in  color  to-day. 


The  Churchman 


stamps  like  the  Moulin.  An  ea^B 
inter  John  Reynes.  He  was  a book* 
frequently  working  m 


their  own  binding,  using  s 
English  hinder  was  the  pri 
seller  who  also  bound  for  Henry  III 
blind  tooling. 

Robert  Harley,  first  Earl  of  Oxfor 
library,  and  many  of  his  books  were  bound  by  Elliott  and 
Chapman.  Their  designs  gave  rise  to  the  style  known  as 
“Harleian,”  which,  while  modelled  on  continental  designs, 
may  be  classed  as  the  first  indigenous  style.  In  the  “Harle- 


' AT' A 


Gospels  in  Anglo-Saxon  and  English.  (Printed  by  John  Day, 
London,  1571.)  Queen  Elizabeth.  English,  Sixteenth  Century. 

in  that  the  designs  are  not  always  related  to  the  shape  and  size 
of  the  book.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  at  this  period  Boule 
(who  died  in  1732)  had  made  the  art  of  inlay— of  brass  and 
gold,  shells  and  ivory,  in  wood — a popular  form  of  decoration. 

The  Deromes — there  were  in  all  fourteen  Nicholas  Dennis 
Derome  (became  a master  workman  in  1761)  known  as  The 
Younger,  being  the  best  known,  like  Le  Gascon,  used  tools 
which  were  copies  of  delicate  iron  work.  A favorite  tool  of 
theirs,  known  as  the  fer  a loiseau,  was  a gracefully  cut  bird. 
In  tooling  the  side  of  a book,  Derome  frequently  left  the 
centre  plain  or  introduced  a single  stamp  and  confined  his  deli- 
cate tooling  to  the  edges,  the  points  of  the  dentelle  tool  facing 
inward:  the  design  was  then  designated  as  a Van  Dyke. 

In  Great  Britain  the  binding  was  for  many  years  in  the 
hands  of  the  monks  and  an  example  of  the  handicraft  of  the 
Irish  monk  Dagaeus  is  preserved  in  the  British  Museum,  and 
is  dated  520  a.d.  Queen  Elizabeth  embroidered  book  covers, 
but  as  in  Italy,  it  was  only  after  printing  was  introduced  that 
binding  became  popular.  The  early  printers  frequently  did 


sseiisSsP 

haps  burnpd  by  pyrography,  the  leather  


Modern  French  Binding  by  Leon  Gruel  in  style  of  Le  Gascon. 

ian”  the  geometric  interlaced  compartments  of  the  “Grolier 
pattern  gave  way  to  a panel  known  as  the  cottage-ioof  de- 
sign— a panel  with  a motive  at  each  end  in  the  shape  of  the 
gable  of  a cottage  roof. 

James  Edwards,  of  Halifax,  who  flourished  in  the  reign  of 
George  III.,  discovered  a new  way  of  treating  vellum  by  tvhich 
it  was  rendered  transparent.  He  then  painted  his  designs  on 
the  under  side  of  the  vellum,  afterward  binding  the  book.  The 
freshness  of  the  color  is  thus  preserved. 

In  the  reign  of  Charles  I.  binding  was  done  at 
the  establishment  of  Nicholas  Ferrar  at  Little 
Gidding,  in  Huntingdonshire.  Some  of  it  was  the 
work  of  amateur  hands.  A specialty  of  theiis  vas 
stamped  work  in  velvet. 

Samuel  Mearne,  royal  bookbinder  to  Charles 
II.  1660-1683,  is  perhaps  the  best  known  English 
binder,  next  to  Roger  Payne.  His  books  were  not 
lavishly  decorated,  and  often  bore  the  ‘ cottage 
roof”  device. 

Roger  Payne  (1739-1797)  the  most  celebrated 
English  binder,  like  Elliott  and  Chapman,  pat- 
terned his  designs  on  the  continental  styles,  but 
gave  them  a comely  reticence  that  made  them  in- 
dividual. He  seldom  put  much  tooling  on  the 
sides,  but  distributed  freely  on  the  back.  He  is 
said  to  have  cut  all  his  own  tools. 

In  judging  historical  bindings  we  must  take  in- 
to consideration  where  the  book  is  to  be  Anally 
placed.  In  our  illustration  representing  Enguer- 
rand  de  Monstrelet  in  a mediaeval  library  may  be 
seen  in  the  foreground  luxuriously  bound  books  ly- 
ing upon  a stand,  the  sides  of  them  being  ex- 
posed; this  was  often  so  in  the  mediaeval  library, 
and  also  the  case  when  “mv  lady’s”  breverie  lav 
on  her  pric  Dieu  or  boudoir  table.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances, embroidered  velvet  sides,  ivory  or  metal 

sides  are  not  an  anomaly,  because  the  books  do 
not  stand  on  their  ends,  as  in  a modern  bookshelf. 
Also  when  “my  lady”  went  to  church,  the  servant 
walked  behind  her  carrying  her  prayer  book. 


The  Churchman. 


Ruskin’s  “Seven  Lamps  of  Architecture.”  Bound  by  Amilia 
Ars,  of  Bologna.  Full  calf  with  upper  and  lower  panel  divided 
by  the  name  in  cuir  cisele,  etc.  The  former  with  inlaid  moroc- 
co, representing  seven  chimneys  with  flaming  torches  project- 
ing from  them,  the  latter  containing  design  of  arbutus  blos- 
soms and  leaves.  Silk  doublure  and  flie,  etc.,  etc. 

By  Permission  of  Charles  Scribner’s  Sons. 


tJlrf 

/ 

|1 

“The  Ballad  of  Beau  Brocade,”  by  Austin  Dobson.  Bound  by 
Schultze,  of  Dusseldorf.  Full  robin’s  egg  blue,  crushed  levant 
morocco  with  a central  panel  inlaid;  ground  in  cuir  cisele. 

By  Permission  of  Charles  Scribner’s  Sons. 


therefore,  this  velvet  embroidery  or  metal  ornament  took  the 
place  of  jewelry,  corresponding  to  her  fan  or  parasol.  To-day, 
however,  in  considering  the  decoration  of  the  modern  book,  it 
is  frequently  maintained  that  it  should  have  simple  sides  and 
the  ornamentation,  if  any  is  needed,  be  on  the  back,  because 
of  its  upright  position  in  the  bookshelf. 

In  the  middle  ages,  when  books  were  used  for  public  cere- 
monies particularly  (as,  for  in- 
stance, court  records,  church  ser- 
vice or  choral  service),  they  were 
made  much  larger  than  to-day;  for 
in  those  days  books  were  not  held 
in  the  hand,  but  often  rested  at  an 
angle  on  a sloping  shelf,  and  were 
read  from  as  from  a lectern.  In  the 
study  of  texts,  for  example,  we  find 
certain  capital  letters  called 
“uncial”  letters  from  the  Latin 
“uncia,”  inch.  These  letters,  es- 
pecially in  the  service  book  or  an- 
tiphonarium,  were  actually  one 
inch  high!  As  the  monks  stood  in 
the  choir  when  singing,  they  were 
thus  able  to  read  the  service  from 
the  books  lying  before  them,  three 
or  four  feet  from  the  eyes. 

Cobden  - Sanderson  must  be 
ranked  first  among  modern  binders. 

It  is  not  that  he  is  any  more  expert 
than  half  a dozen  Frenchmen  of  to- 
day, nor  that  his  bindings  are  more 
glorious  than  theirs,  for,  on  the 
contrary,  their  colored  inlays  are 
far  more  striking  than  Cobden- 
Sanderson’s  bindings  of  simple 
panels  filled  with  tooling  com- 
posed of  a few  small  floral  forms. 

But  in  their  work  there  is  always 
a little  suggestion  of  the  shop,  or 
their  effects  are  too  startling  and 
bizarre,  and  hint  of  the  tour  de 
force,  while  Sanderson’s  covers 
carry  the  ear  mark  of  the  artist  in 
every  detail.  Mr.  Sanderson  said,  in 
relation  to  the  Rossetti  binding 
which  we  reproduce:  I have  very 

few  tools,  but  each  tool  is  so  simple  in  form  as  to  be  capable  of 
taking  its  place  in  infinitely  varied  combinations.  For 
instance,  in  the  Rossetti,  the  rose  is  from  a single  tool,  the 
foliage  throughout  is  worked  from  three  tools— a right,  left, 


Mosaic  Doublure  (Modern  French)  by  Cham- 
bolie-Duru.  The  blackberries  and  leaves  inlaid  in 
their  natural  color,  the  leaves  outlined  in  black, 
the  ground  (crushed  levant)  white,  the  panel  bor- 
ders mauve.  By  permission  of  E.  F.  Bonaven- 
ture. 


and  central  leaf,  the  tulip-shaped  flowers  are  from  another 
tool;  the  rest  is  composed  of  dots,  or  lines  of  various  lengths, 
some  straight  and  some  curved.  The  colored  flowers  are  cut 
out  in  thin  leather  and  pasted  on,  the  gold  outline  of  the  tool 
covering  the  edges.  Each  tool  is  heated  and  impressed 
separately  upon  the  leather,  which,  I must  remind  you,  is 
covered  with  gold  leaf.  When  the  whole  pattern  has  been  im- 
pressed the  superfluous  gold  is 
rubbed  away.” 

“Do  you  prepare  a sketch  de- 
sign?” 

“Usually  I make  a scheme  on 
paper  with  the  tools,  and  have  often 
to  modify  the  first  sketch.  In  this 
border,  to  avoid  cutting  a new  tool,, 
I have  disturbed  the  symmetry  of 
the  repeat  and  emphasized  a por- 
tion which  I had  first  intended 
should  be  uniform  with  the  rest.” 

“Do  you  carry  out  every  detail 
of  the  binding  yourself?” 

“For  a long  time  I did  so,  now 
I entrust  the  manual  stages  to 
others.  My  desire  is  to  institute  a 
workshop  in  which  all  the  work 
shall  be  done  by  all,  and  the  final 
outcome  be  the  work,  not  of  this 
one  or  the  other,  but  of  the  whole 
bindery.”  Mr.  Sanderson’s  bindery 
is  now  known  as  The  Dove’s  Bind- 
ery, and  is  celebrated  for  having 
bound  a great  many  of  William 
Morris’s  Kelmscott  Press  Books. 

In  France  the  modern  binders, 
till  recently,  more  often  than  not, 
contented  themselves  with  copying 
the  masterpieces  of  the  past.  Note 
the  copies  of  Le  Gascon  by  Leon 
Gruel  and  of  Padeloup  by  Cuzin, 
which  we  reproduce.  So  in  many 
a binding  by  Lefort,  David  Ritter, 
Lortic,  Raparlier,  Ruban,  and  Mer- 
cier,  we  find  the  “empire  style,” 
“Grolier  genre”  or  the  “Padeloup 
genre”  repeated:  and  in  the  Scrib- 
ner exhibition  wa«  seen  a cottage- 
Bindery  which  is  presided  over  by 
Leon  Mailiard.  But  recently  these 
same  binders  have  given  evidence  of  a willingness  to 
break  away  from  the  shackles  of  the  past  and  essay  something 


roof  cover 
a French 


by  the  Club 
finisher. 


The  Churchman. 


more  personal — as  in  a pictorial  binding  by  Ritter  for  “Le 
Livre  d'or  de  Millet,”  where  “The  Angelus”  has  been  repro- 
duced on  the  cover.  In  America  so  far  the  taste  of  the  coun- 
try has  been  too  free  to  encourage  a master  workman  who 
could  support  himself  by  really  artistic  binding.  The  products 
of  the  binderies  have  been  mostly  commercial,  and  the  trades- 
man has  been  developed  at  the  expense  of  the  artist.  Several 
amateurs  have  made  tenative  essays  in  the  art  that  are  not 
undeserving  of  praise.  Miss  Evelyn  Nordhoff,  whose  untimely 
death  in  1898  cut  off  a promising  career,  deserves  to  be  men- 
tioned as  a pioneer  in  the  field. 

Unluckily,  there  is  little  opportunity  for  the  American  pub- 
lic to  see  specimens  of  fine  bookbinding.  The  Lenox  and  Astor 
Libraries  own  some  very  fine  bindings,  but  they  are  not  regu- 
larly exhibited.  The  book  dealers  of  recent  years  have  ar- 
ranged special  exhibitions  of  fine  bindings,  that  have  done 


Modern,  French,  Mosaic  Binding  by  Canape 
the  younger.  By  permission  of  E.  F.  Bonaven- 
ture. 


Animal  Stories. 

( Continued  from  eighth  page  preceding.) 

to  his  task  a ripened  scholarship,  a gift  of  humor,  sympathy 
with  nature,  and  a genial  fancy.  If  you  are,  or  would  be,  more 
than  a fireside  naturalist,  this  book  will  surely  attract  and 
repay  the  reading. 

Kipling’s  ‘'Kim.” 

It  has  not  always  been  possible  to  greet  a new  book  from 
the  pen  of  Rudyard  Kipling  with  unmixed  pleasure.  The 
disagreeable  fact  has  been  forced  upon  us  that,  where  so 
much  work  was  forthcoming  all  could  not  maintain  the  level 
of  excellence  which  made  the  appearance  of  his  first  Indian 
tales  a memorable  happening  in  the  world  of  books.  It  is 
then  with  satisfaction  that  we  find  in  “Kim”  a return  to  that 
“early  manner”  of  the  man  who,  with  all  his  too  evident 
faults,  has  within  certain  well-defined  limits  an  unrivalled 
skill.  That  his  range  is  narrower  than  his  most  ardent  ad- 
mirers claim  may  readily  be  conceded,  but  it  must  also  be 
said  that  the  too  hasty  critics  who  prophesied  his  speedy 
literary  dissolution  must  now  retract.  His  latest  book  is 
vindication  of  that  judgment  which  the  reading  world  passed 
on  the  writer  who  made  to  pass  before  our  eyes  the  throng 
which  peopled  the  narrow  streets  of  the  Eastern  city,  the 
dwellers  in  the  lonely  hill  villages,  the  priest,  the  beggar, 
the  ryot,  the  rajah,  the  men  and  women  of  shame,  and  the 
proud  dominant  race  which  rules  them  all,  less  by  its  armies 
than  its  moral  mastery.  True,  Mr.  Kipling  has  not  written 
a novel,  nor  will  he  ever.  His  collection  of  cinematographs 
can  never  be  unified  into  a panorama  of  life.  A novel  must 
protract  itself  sufficiently  to  afford  some  real  test  of  propor- 
tion and  no  mere  series  of  episodes  can  be  deemed  worthy 
of  that  name. 

The  book  before  us  is  the  latest  volume  of  the  Outward 


much  to  educate  the  public  taste.  Dodd,  Mead  & Co.  have  a 
small  case  of  bindings  on  exhibition,  wherein  may  be  seen 
specimens  of  the  standard  English  binders,  like  Zaehnsdorf, 
Cobden-Sanderson,  Mr.  Chivers  of  Birmingham,  and  several 
New  York  binders  like  Leon  Maillard,  of  the  Club  Bindery. 
Last  month  Charles  Scribner’s  Sons  held  one  of  their  annual 
exhibitions,  in  which  they  displayed  specimens  of  the  binders 
of  Austria,  Belgium,  Denmark,  England,  France,  Germany, 
Ireland,  Italy,  Norway,  Scotland,  Sweden,  Switzerland,  and  the 
United  States.  And  Mr.  E.  F.  Bonaventure  is  holding  at  pres- 
ent his  annual  exhibition  of  fine  French  bindings,  which  in- 
cludes the  example  of  Canape,  Chambolle-Duru  and  Gruel, 
which  he  has  kindly  allowed  us  to  reproduce  for  this  article. 
At  the  Architectural  League  exhibitions  we  sometimes  see  a 
case  or  two  of  American  bindings,  as  well  as  original  designs 
for  cloth  covers. 


Modern,  French,  Mosaic  Binding  by  Gruel. 
Brown  crushed  levant  with  dark  brown  bands, 
central  flowers  white;  leaves  green  and  reddish, 
border  flowers  pinkish,  leaves  variegated.  By 
permission  ot  E.  F.  Bonaventure. 


Bound  edition,  illustrated  by  J.  Lockwood  Kipling  (Double- 
day, Page,  $1.50),  and  bearing  in  several  places  the  mark  of 
the  Swastika.  It  is  the  story  of  a lad,  half-native,  half- 
Irish,  who  has  grown  up,  an  orphan,  under  the  care  of  a 
half-caste  woman.  His  real  education  has  been  in  bazaars 
and  shameful  purlieus.  He  finds  that  he  is  really  a sahib 
with  a curious  sense  of  elation  and  despair,  and  flees  from 
the  possible  restraint  of  a more  conventional  life  in  com- 
pany with  an  old  llama  who  is  on  his  holy  quest  for  the  great 
River  of  the  Arrow.  This  strangely  assorted  pair  go  roving 
— the  elder  more  of  a child  than  the  younger — each  with  his 
own  aim.  For  the  shrewd  street  waif  begins  even  then  to 
have  a part,  though  dimly  understood,  in  the  great  game 
of  the  Indian  Secret  Service,  whose  ramifications  bring  him 
into  touch  with  those  in  authority,  who  lodge  him  at  school. 
Of  his  life  here  we  are  told  little,  for  the  many  voices  of 
the  East  are  calling  Kim  back  to  that  wandering  which  he 
craves  and  to  the  old  teacher  whom  he  loves,  and  soon  they 
are  afoot  together  again,  this  time  to  breast  the  hills  and 
know  the  uplifts  which  the  mountains  give.  The  pursuit 
of  the  secret  agents  of  the  Russian  Government,  the  success- 
ful attempt  to  obtain  possession  of  their  papers  and  surveys, 
the  flight  pack  to  the  levels  of  the  plain — all  these  are  told 
with  power  and  with  fewer  of  those  stretches  of  writing 
done  to  show  cleverness  than  appear  in  the  author’s  other 
books.  That  there  are  times  when  the  reader  is  resentful 
of  being  treated  to  more  mystery  than  really  belongs  to  the 
subject,  one  must  frankly  admit;  and  the  book  affords  fine 
examples  of  how  far  the  attempt  to  De  subtle,  even  to  a 
vanishing  point,  may  lead  Mr.  Kipling.  But  when  all  de- 
murrers are  filed,  the  judgment  must  still  hold  good  that  all 
that  wondrous  charm  of  that  fascinating  land  where  the 
Orient  still  persists  and  the  ruts  of  immemorial  customs 
seam  the  warp  of  life;  where  multitudinous  voices  sing  the 
mysterious  beginnings  of  our  kind  under  the  ward  of  those 
snow-crowned  hills  and  by  those  ancient  river  floods — that 
all  this  lies  before  us  clad  in  that  atmosphere  with  which 


m 


From  “Thomas  Wolsey”  (John  Lane). 


Eut  when  we  have  to  deal  with  men  who  bring  to  hear  upon 
Mature  “a  new  and  independent  conception  of  the  world”;  look 
( '.it  things  with  clearness  of  insight  and  depth  of  feeling,  and  at 
I the  same  time  possess  the  energy  and  capacity  to  express  them, 
i we  find  almost  always  that  th“  ife  becomes  interpretative  of  the 
work,  and  is  worthy  of  study  even  in  its  minute  detail.  “It  is 
the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  the  great  artist,  his  personal  view 
of  life,  which  form  the  truest  and  deepest  substance  of  his 
work.”  Mr.  Kristeller,  passing  in  review  the  fifteenth  century 
of  Italian  art,  with  its  multitudinal  struggle  for  expression  and 
its  gradual  attainment  of  mastery  over  the  human  form,  dis- 
cerns from  Jacopo  della  Quercia  and  Masaccio  up  to  Leonardo, 
Michael  Angelo  and  Giorgione,  hut  two  artists  who  confronted 
nature  freely  and  independently  from  the  higher  standpoint 
of  an  original  conception  of  the  world — these  were  Donatello  the 
Florentine  sculptor  and  Mantegna  the  painter  from  the 
Veneto.  Donatello  has  not  lacked  for  recognition;  Mantegna 
has  suffered  under  the  reproach  of  pedantry.  “To  speak  frank- 
ly, he  has  al- 
ways been  a 
most  uncom- 
fortable per- 
sonage for  his- 
torical criti- 
cism to  deal 
with,  and  has 
therefore,  t o 
say  the  least 
of  it,  been 
very  m u c h 
ne  g 1 e cted” 
— chiefly  b e- 
cause  men 
have  not  dis- 
cerned his 
place  in  the 
evolution  o f 
art,  and,  while 
they  have  rec- 
ognized h i s 
influence,  have 
failed  to  see 
the  source 
from  which 
it  sprang.  Mr. 

Kristeller  then  has,  for  his  chief  aim,  to  set  Mantegna  in  his 
proper  organic  place  in  the  main  drift  and  tendency  of  Italian 
art,  as  “the  most  perfect  son  of  the  great  early  period  of 
humanism;  one  of  the  mightiest  combatants  in  the  van  of  that 
battle  for  nature  which  we  have  now  to  fight  more  ardently 
than  ever.” 

In  the  scope  which  a work  of  this  size  affords,  the  author 
has  been  able  to  bring  before  the  reader,  well  ordered  and  ar- 
ranged, all  the  materials  needed  for  the  study.  He  has  entered 
little  into  controversy,  though  he  has  given  the  reader  the  op- 
portunity, through  bibliographies,  to  do  so.  It  may  be  worth 
while  to  note  in  passing  that  this  English  edition  precedes  the 
original  German  in  publication.  It  is  accompanied  with  a 
complete  list  of  Mantegna’s  works,  supplemented  by  another 
of  lost  or  missing  works,  and  a third  of  works  attributed,  as 
it  seems,  wrongly  to  him.  There  is  also  an  appendix,  giving  a 
list  of  all  publications  in  which  documents  on  Mantegna  have 
appeared,  and  eighty-four  of  such  documents  in  their  full  text. 

Art  and  Architecture. 

Among  the  season’s  contributions  to  architecture  it  is 
natural  that  we  should  accord  a prominent  place  to  Ralph 
Adams  Cram’s  “Church  Building,”  because  this  excellent  group 
of  essays  appeared  for  the  greater  part  serially 
in  our  own  columns.  The  interest  that  it 
aroused  at  that  time  among  our  readers  was 
ample  justification  for  its  appearance  in  more 
permanent  form,  in  which  we  are  sure  many  of 
our  readers  will  be  glad  to  have  it  at  hand  for 
consultation.  The  whole  has  been  carefully  re- 
vised, somewhat  enlarged,  and  furnished  with 
additional  illustrations.  The  printing  of  these, 
however,  seems  to  us  somewhat  less  successful 
than  the  product  of  our  own  presses.  (Small, 

Maynard.) 

A valuable  contribution  to  the  critical  study 
of  art  is  Professor  Hoppin’s  “Great  Epochs  in 
Art  History.”  (Houghton,  Mifflin,  $1.50.)  The 
epochs  are  four:  that  of  Italian  religious  paint- 
ing, of  Greek  sculpture  after  Phidias,  of  French 
Gothic  architecture,  and  of  the  English  Pre- 
Raphaelites.  Nearly  half  the  volume  is  accord- 
ed to  the  first  of  these  which,  like  the  rest,  is 
treated,  not  systematically  but  in  a 


group  of  little 
studies  on 
such  varied 
subjects  as 
may  have  hap- 
pened to  at- 
tract the  au- 
thor. It  pre- 
supposes, 
therefore,  a 
certain 
amount  of 
general 
Knowl  edge 
a n d thought- 
ful interest, 
and  to  those 
who  have  such 
a background 
of  information 
it  ought  to  be 
very  inspir- 
ing, for  it  ap- 
proaches 
artistic  crea- 
tions “as  if 
they  were  liv- 
ing, in  the 
spirit  of  love 
in  which  they 
were  created, 
and  that  is  the 
joyful  and  in- 
spiring source 
of  art.” 

Few  Italian 


; 


4 


■r 


.VHf 

- m 


From  “Andrea  Mantegna” 
Co.). 


(Longmans,  Green  & 


artists 

tease  us  more  in  the  scanty  pages  of  Vasari  than  does  the 
builder  of  the  glorious  dome  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Flower  at 
Florence,  Filippi  Di  Ser  Brunellesco,  the  subject  of  a recent 
volume  in  the  series  of  “Great  Masters  in  Painting  and  Sculp- 
ture,” by  Leader  Scott.  (Macmillan,  $1.75.)  Such  work  as  his 
lends  itself  peculiarly  well  to  illustration,  and  that  part  of 
the  work  is  entirely  satisfactory.  The  task  of  the  critic, 
though  more  difficult,  has  been  judiciously  performed,  with  due 
recognition  of  the  changes  in  his  designs,  so  vast  as  to  be  left 
incomplete  at  his  death,  which  make,  as  Mr.  Scott  observes, 
the  works  which  should  best  illustrate  his  nobility  of  concep 
tion  more  mis- 
vincing  in  their 
inevitable  that 
tion  of  the  evi- 
should  be  much 
Mr.  Scott  has  set- 
ters by  his  in- 
has  brought  to- 
tered  discoveries 
this  volume,  like 
of  the  Series, 
advance  in  our 
it  clears  away 
which  proves  to 
at  all. 

triots  of  Brunel- 
larger  part  of  L. 
beautiful  volume, 
ture  of  the  Re- 
naissance.” (Mac- 


leading  than  con- 
evidence.  It  is 
with  the  condi- 
dence  there 
groping  still,  but 
tied  some  mat- 
vestigations,  and 
gether  the  scat- 
of  others,  so  that 
so  many  others 
marks  a distinct 
knowledge,  while 
much  tradition 
be  no  knowledge 
The  compa- 
lesco  occupy  the 
A.  Freeman’s 
“Italian  Sculp- 


A z v/.. 


From  “Church  Building”  (Small,  Maynard  & Co.). 


The  Churchman. 


minan,  $0.) 
After  a 
very  sympa- 
thetic intro- 
duction on  the 
enjoyment  o f 
s c u 1 p t u re, 
a n attentive 
reading  of 
which  will 
really  c o n - 
tribute  very 
much  not 
merely  to  the 
compre- 
hension of 
what  follows 
but  to  the  ap- 
preciation of 
that  beautiful 
art,  he  gives  a 
chapter  to  the 
P i s a n i,  an- 
other to  Della 
Quercia,  and 
then  reaches 
the  heart  of 
his  subject 
with  Ghiberti 

Donatello  and  Luca  della  Robbia.  The  minor  sculptors  of  the 
early  Renaissance  are  not  forgotten  and  in  a second  part  the 
characteristics  of  the  late  Renaissance  are  illustrated  in  the 
Sansovini,  Giovanni  da  Bologna,  Benvenuto  Cellini  and 
Michael  Angelo.  The  thought  here  seems  somewhat  less  fresh 
than  in  the  earlier  pages,  but  the  interest  is  well  sustained, 
though  we  think  the  author  errs  sometimes  by  excess  of  im- 
agination in  the  daring  use  of  metaphor,  as  when,  for 
instance,  he  speaks  at  the  close  of  the  equestrian  statue  of 
Colleoni  and  Donatello’s  Gattamelata  as  pro- 
ducing a sum  of  beauty  “so  great  that  it 
makes,  as  it  were,  an  individual  line  of  color 
in  that  spectrum  of  aesthetic  values  which  is 
characteristic  of  the  Italian  sculpture  of  the 
Renaissance.” 


From  Balfour's 


* ”*  - 

‘Stevenson’ 

Sons). 


(Chas.  Scribner’s 


tions.  the  memorabilia  of  Stevenson’s  boyhood  has  been 
gathered  with  peculiar  diligence,  such  as  seems  no  unfit  tribute 
to  the  singer  and  interpreter  of  childhood,  and  the  recollec- 
tions of  others,  as  well  as  his  own  account  of  his  early  years, 
are  not  only  intrinsically  interesting  but  of  considerable 
psychologic  value,  as  well  as  material  aids  to  interpretation. 
This  was  perhaps  more  true  of  Stevenson  than  it  would  be  of 
many.  He  never  quite  put  off  the  boy  for  the  man;  something 
of  the  glory  of  youth  was  with  him  to  the  very  end,  of  its  en- 
thusiasms, its  high-souled  impulses,  its  power  of  devotion,  and 
of  ideals.  All  that  was  most  precious  in  boyhood  and  adoles- 
cence he  seems  to  have  kept,  and  purified  it  with  the  exper- 
ience of  age.  So  it  may  be  said  that  in  manhood  his  genius 
emerged  out  of  a being  in  which  it  can  be  recognized  entire  by 
the  discerning,  even  in  its  earliest  immaturity.  His  failings, 
too,  were  those  of  boyhood,  and  did  not  make  him  the  less 
lovable.  “To  be  the  writer  that  he  was,”  says  this  biographer, 
“amounted  to  a great  exploit  and  service  to  humanity;  to  be- 
come the  man  that  in  the  end  he  became,  seems  to  me  an 
achievement  equally  great,  an  example  no  less  eloquent." 

More  than  half  the  first  volume  is  taken  up  with  an  account 
of  Stevenson’s  ancestry,  his  infancy,  childhood,  boyhood  and 
student  days;  then  we  come  to  the  critical  year,  1873,  cardinal 
for  Stevenson  on  the  religious  side,  and  with  the  first  promise 
of  literary  success  in  those  notes  of  travel  and  essays  that 
were  for  a long  time  his  chief,  and  to  some  are  still  his  most 
characteristic,  literary  achievement.  That  year,  too,  first 
brought  him  powerful  friends  in  the  critical  world,  and  if  it 
witnessed  no  change  in  his  literary  taste  it  did  change  in  a 
very  marked  degree  the  confidence  with  which  he  sought  liter- 
ary expression.  So  it  is  natural  that  Mr.  Balfour  should  give  a 
chapter  to  “Life  at  Five  and  Twenty,”  and  another  to  the 
transition  years  from  ’76  to  ’79  that  brought  Stevenson  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  to  the  most  trying  experiences  of  his  life.  But 
the  clouds  lifted  on  his  marriage  to  Fanny  Vandegrift,  and  the 
next  years  at  Davos  and  in  the  Highlands  were  among  the  most 
fruitful  of  his  life.  A large  part  of  “Treasure  Island”  was 


Robert  Louis  Stevenson 


Few  books  of  the  early  holiday  season 
are  likely  to  attract  more  attention  than  Mr. 
Graham  Balfour’s  two  volumes  on  “The  Life 
of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson.”  (Scribners,  $4.) 
Their  beautiful  typography  and  general  ex- 
cellence of  manufacture  commend  them  ex- 
ternally to  all  lovers  of  that  genial  novelist 
and  fine  character,  while  the  work  itself  is 
done  with  a painstaking  accuracy  and  a 
sympathetic  knowledge  that  gratifies  every 
just  curiosity,  and  materially  assists  in  the 
comprehension  of  the  story-teller’s  genius. 
That  indeed  was  revealed  to  those  gifted 
with  a little  literary  second  sight  in  his  cor- 
respondence, to  which  these  volumes  are,  as 
it  were,  a supplement,  and  a sort  of  running 
commentary.  We  learn  from  the  preface 
that  it  was  intended  that  the  biography 
should  appear  simultaneously  with  the  let- 
ters, and  that  it  was  to  have  been  written  by 
Mr.  Colvin,  the  editor  of  the  correspondence, 
but  as  he  could  not  undertake  the  task, 
through  failing  health,  Mrs.  Stevenson 
turned,  not  unnaturally,  to  Mr.  Balfour,  who 
had  made  Vailima,  Stevenson’s  Samoan  es- 
tate, his  home,  for  the  last  two  years  and  a 
half  of  the  novelist’s  life,  and,  except  for  his 
immediate  family,  was  “the  only  one  of  his 
intimate  friends  in  contact  with  every  side 
of  his  life.” 

Mr.  Balfour  approaches  his  subject  in 
the  right  way,  saying  that  all  biography 
would  be  autobiography  if  it  could,  and  let- 
ting his  cousin  tell  his  own  story  as  far  as 
may  be;  not  merely  by  letters  and  through 
memoranda  but  by  gathering  passing  allu- 
sions to  himself  in  literary  work  where  we 
might  not  naturally  look  for  it.  He  has,  how- 
ever, avoided  needless  repetition,  and  his 
longer  quotations  are  almost  always  either 
from  material  unpublished  or  accessible  only 
to  the  chosen  few  who  gather  limited  edi- 


Copyright, 1901,  by  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.  From  ’’China  in  Convulsion. 

The  Six  “Fighting  Parsons”  and  Sergeant  Murphy  at  Fort  Cockburn. 


The  Churchman 


j written  then,  and  many  first  sketches  of  work  to  he  elaborated 
later.  The  years  from  1884  to  1887  were  the  flood-tide  of  his 
production;  then  followed  a second  visit  to  the  United  States, 
and  then  those  six  brave  years  in  the  eastern  and  central 
Pacific,  where  isolation  seemed  only  to  add  to  the  charm 
which  bound  him  to  an  ever-widening  circle  of  admirers.  This 
spell,  as  Mr.  Balfour  says,  defies  analysis.  It  is  not  enough  to 
say  that  Stevenson  was  brilliant,  romantic,  fiery,  tender,  brave, 
kind,  nor  to  say  that  he  was  sympathetic  to  the  thoughts  and 
moods  of  whoever  might  be  his  companions.  There  was  in 
him,  beside  all  this,  a stimulus  of  youth,  so  that,  as  Mr.  Bal- 
four observes,  he  raises,  in  the  hearts  of  his  readers,  not  mere- 
ly admiration  and  hope,  but  a personal  feeling  for  himself, 
that  is  close  akin  to  love. 

China  in  Convulsion.* 

Of  all  those  gallant  men  who  witnessed  and  partici- 
pated in  the  heroic  defence  of  the  Legations  at  Pekin,  there  is 
none  whose  account  of  this  splendid  exhibition  of  endurance, 
fortitude,  and  resourcefulness  could  have  been  awaited  more 
hopefully  than  that  of  Arthur  H.  Smith,  who  for  twenty-nine 
years  has  been  a missionary  of  the  American  Board  in  China, 
and  who  has  already  shown  himself  an  observer  of  exceptional 
keenness,  a student  of  exceptional  breadth  and  depth  of  in- 
sight, and  a writer  of  great  graphic  power,  as  well  as  one  who, 
by  the  dedication  of  his  life  to  mission  work  in  China,  has  won 
a sympathetic  insight  into  the  national  life  of  that  empire, 
that  is,  so  far  as  we  know,  unrivalled  among  living  representa- 
tives of  Western  culture.  His  “Chinese  Characteristics”  and 
“Village  Life  in  China”  have  been  pronounced  by  the  general 
voice  the  very  best  books  on  the  subject  of  our  generation,  and 
among  the  best  in  their  kind  of  any  time  on  any  country. 

The  present  volumes  yield  something  in  sociologic  value 
to  the  preceding,  for  they  are  records  of  a convulsion,  not  of 
normal  life.  But  as  a story  of  the  siege  they  are  unrivalled, 
and  the  study  of  the  events  which  led  up  to  the  Boxer  revolt 


* “China  in  Convulsion.’’  By  Arthur  H.  Smith.  With  numerous  illus- 
trations and  maps.  2 vols.  [Fleming  H.  Reveil  Co.,  from  advance 
sheets.] 


From  “Imperial  London’’  (E.  P.  Dutton  & Co.). 


From  “Lives  of  the  English  Saints”  (J.  B.  Lippincott  & Co.e 

comes  to  us  with  greater  weight  of  authority  than  any  other, 
as  do  the  pages  on  the  outlook,  at  the  close.  It  is  these  to 
which  we  wish  to  direct  especial  attention.  Dr.  Smith  begins 
by  detailing  the  remoter  sources  of  antipathy  between  China 
and  foreigners.  The  Chinese,  he  says,  have  never  wished  to 
fight.  The  appeal  to  arms  is  distasteful  to 
them  as  a people;  nor  did  they  desire 
raffia  foreign  trade,  though  they  are  by  instinct 

highly  skilled  in  commerce.  Yet  this 
might  have  been  borne,  had  it  not  been  for 
certain  special  reasons  of  distrust  in  the 
case  of  Christianity,  partly  due  to  indiscre- 
tion, partly  to  the  very  nature  of  Chris- 
tianity itself,  which,  as  Dr.  Smith  says,  “has 
been  in  China  a disturber,  as  it  always  is 
and  always  has  been  everywhere.”  But 
leaving  this  ferment  of  the  Gospel,  which 
in  regenerating  a nation  with  its  new  wine 
cannot  hut  change  the  old  forms  of  na- 
tional life  in  China  as  it  has  done  every- 
where, Dr.  Smith  proceeds  to  consider  the 
responsibility  successively  of  the  Protestant 
and  of  the  Roman  Catholics  for  the  out- 
break— that  responsibility  for  which  they 
may  justly  be  blamed.  Ill-judged  sympathy 
with  the  Tai-Ping  Rebellion,  and  the  fact 
that  this  had  its  origin  in  a perversion  of 
Protestant  Christianity,  counts  for  some- 
thing. The  disorganized  activities  of  mis- 
sionaries lacking  “an  external  and  a visible 
unity,”  coming  no  Chinaman  knows  whence 
or  why,  settling  at  frequent  intervals,  selling 
books,  dispensing  medicines  and  preaching, 
keep  the  multitude,  he  says,  in  a sort  of  fer- 
ment as  to  what  it  is  all  about,  and  the 
scholarly  caste  use  this  irritation  to  excite 
anti-missionary  riots,  in  which  they  are 
aided  by  offensive  acts  of  the  imprudent  and 
the  inexperienced,  especially  as  this  affects 
the  cult  of  ancestors.  Dr.  Smith  seems  to 
hope  that  some  middle  course  may  be  dis- 
covered that  will  enable  the  missionary  to 
combine  reverence  to  man  and  worship  to 
God,  so  that  neither  shall  infringe  upon  the 
other;  but  he  makes  it  clear  that  the  pres- 
ent attitude  of  the  Christian  Church  in  this 
matter  is  “a  great  bar  to  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  in  China,  and  perhaps  the  most  potent 
single  cause  of  Chinese  hostility.”  There 
has  been  indiscretion,  in  Dr.  Smith’s  opinion, 
in  the  circulation  of  tracts  and  other  Chris- 
tian literature,  and  even  the  medical  mis- 
sions have  not  been  an  unmixed  benefit  in 
their  immediate  effect,  though  ultimately 


From  "By  the  Waters  of  Sicily"  (James  Pott  & Co.). 


“It  is  well  that  the  dilemma  should  be  recognized 
and  squarely  faced.  Unless  China  is  essentially  altered 
she  will  continue  to  ‘imperil  the  world’s  future.’  Other 
forces  have  been  to  some  extent  experimented  with, 
and  have  been  shown  to  be  hopelessly  inadequate. 
Christianity  has  been  tried  upon  a small  scale  only, 
and  has  already  brought  forth  fruits  after  its  kind. 
When  it  shall  have  been  thoroughly  tested,  and  have 
had  opportunity  to  develop  its  potentialities,  it  will 
give  to  China,  intellectually,  morally,  and  spiritually, 
the  Elixir  of  a New  Life.’’ 

Old  Friends  in  New  Dress. 

Fifty-seven  years  ago  there  began  to  appear  at  Ox- 
ford “The  Lives  of  the  English  Saints,”  prepared  by 
various  hands  at  the  suggestion  of  John  Henry  New- 
man, then  priest  of  the  Anglican  Church,  and  after- 
ward cardinal  in  the  Church  of  Rome.  These  lives  were 
in  their  day  much  more  than  attempts  at  religious 
biography,  or  studies  in  saintliness,  they  were,  though 
they  were  not  intended  to  be,  the  manifesto  of  a party, 
the  enunciation  of  a point  of  view,  the  expression  of  a 
spirit  in  the  English  Church  long  dormant  but 
struggling  into  new  life,  and  finding  utterance  here  in 
most  varied  form,  now  deeply  eloquent,  now  almost 
puerile.  These  lives  are  now  gathered,  for  the  first 
time,  in  their  entirety,  into  six  well-printed  volumes 
with  an  introduction  by  Arthur  Hutton,  and  are  pub- 
lished in  America  by  the  Lippincott  Company.  Those 
of  us  who  have  had  occasion  to  read  or  consult  them  in 
their  original  form  will  be  grateful  to  editor  and  pub- 
lisher, who  have  given  them  a new  lease  of  life  in  this 
more  convenient  form.  Historically  many  of  them  are 
of  little  value,  but  they  form  a very  significant  episode 
in  the  history  of  the  English  Church,  and  some  of 
them,  more  especially  the  longest,  “The  Life  of  Abbot 
Stephen,”  rank  still  among  the  best  of  religious 
biographies  in  English.  The  introduction  contains  a 
good  account  of  the  inception  and  conduct  of  the  en- 
terprise, and  excellent  portraits  of  the  chief  collabora- 
tors in  it  add  value  to  the  volume. 

It  is  certainly  a remarkable  witness  to  the  perennial 
popularity  of  the  Brontes  that  close  upon  the  fine 


they  may  prove  so.  Altogether,  Dr.  Smith’s  conclusion 
is  that  “for  the  precipitation  of  the  tremendous  crisis 
which  has  occurred,  the  proportion  of  responsibility  of 
Protestant  missions  is  undoubtedly  real,  but  it  is  a small 
and  relatively  insignificant  factor.” 

Not  so  with  the  Roman  Catholics,  who  are  generally 
believed  to  have  political  aims,  or  even  to  be  political 
agents.  Dr.  Smith  endeavors  to  hold  the  balance  fairly, 
and  to  set  down  nothing  in  malice,  but  says  that  he  hears 
everywhere  in  Chili  and  Shan-tung  that  Roman  Catholic 
proceedings  at  law  are  unfair  and  tyrannous.  He  pays 
a warm  tribute  to  the  great  work  that  the  Roman  Church 
has  done  for  the  Chinese,  to  its  noble,  self-denying  and 
devout  missionaries,  who  were  working  here  for  cen- 
turies before  the  Protestant  churches  had  touched  the 
task;  “yet  for  all  that— *ay,  because  of  all  that— it  is  the 
more  imperative  to  call  attention,  in  the  most  emphatic 
manner  possible,  to  the  fact  that  the  present  semi-politi- 
cal administration  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in 
China  is  bad  and  . . . sowing  a harvest  of  evil.”  There 
is  not  one  of  the  countries  which  have  treaties  with 
China,  says  Dr.  Smith,  in  which  such  causes  would  not 
have  produced  worse  results  than  have  been  seen  in 
China  until  the  late  rising.  This  was  indeed  tolerated, 
fostered,  and  finally  directed,  by  the  Chinese  Govern- 
ment. It  had  its  primary  sources  in  race  hatred  and 
political  aggression,  but  the  claims  and  practices  of  the 
Roman  Church  added  fury  and  bitterness  to  the  attack, 
and  contribute  seriously  to  the  difficulty  of  permanent 
settlement. 

In  a concluding  chapter  on  the  outlook.  Dr.  Smith  de- 
plores the  loss  of  the  unique  opportunity  of  Western 
civilization  to  aid  in  the  rehabilitation  of  China.  “A 
more  impressive  object  lesson  than  the  failure  of 
diplomacy  to  achieve  constructive  results,  when  unham- 
pered by  external  conditions  and  operating  on  a large 
scale,  has  seldom  been  seen.”  China  has  never  been  pro- 
foundly moved  by  other  than  moral  forces,  and  Chris- 
tianity alone  will  be  a constructive  disintegrator  of  this 
mediaeval  civilization.  Its  development  says  Dr.  Smith, 
Will  be,  and  must  be,  marked  bv  conflict,  perhaps  not 
more  so  than  elsewhere,  but  surely  not  less. 


vaults  and  Daughters  of  Colonial  Days”  (Thomas  Y.  Crowell  & Co.). 


The  Churchman 


From  "Wild  Life  Near  Home’’  (Century  Co.). 


octavo  Haworth  Edition  of  their  novels,  which 
might  have  promised  to  suffice  for  a decade,  comes 
another  in  twelve  of  the  dainty  little  Temple 
Classic  (Macmillan)  volumes,  each  with  a finely 
executed  frontispiece,  and  with  all  the  varied  ex- 
cellencies of  book-making  that  have  made  these 
Temple  Classics  proverbial.  Each  of  the  chief 
novels  fills  two  volumes,  “The  Professor”  and  a 
volume  of  verses  make  up  the  total.  The  Brontes’ 
work  has  never  been  given  us  in  a form  so  at- 
tractive, so  likely  to  win  new  readers  and  to  keep 
old  ones,  as  in  these  light,  olive-bound  and  limp- 
covered  volumes. 

Another  writer  whose  memory  is  ever  green, 
and  shows  not  the  least  sign  of  decay,  is  Alexandre 
Dumas,  whose  “Works”  come  to  us  from  the 
Crowells  in  ten  volumes.  It  is  the  selected 
works  of  course  with  which  we  have  to  do  here. 
There  has  been  a translation,  published  by 
subscription,  embracing  a very  much  larger  group 
of  the  great  romancer’s  creations,  though  even  that 
is  not  complete,  nor  indeed  is  any  modern  edition 
likely  to  be,  for  the  task  of  distinguishing  the 
work  of  that  prodigal  of  genius  from  that  of  his 
apprentice  collaborators  may  be  given  up  as  not 
impossible,  perhaps,  but  hardly  worth  while,  for 
the  world  has  judged,  and  has  separated  unerring- 
ly the  wheat  from  the  chaff.  We  have  here,  on 
the  whole,  all  of  that  for  which  Dumas  stands,  to 
any  but  those  of  very  special  literary  education. 
Here  is  of  course  “The  Three  Musketeers,” 
“Twenty  Years  After”  and  the  “Vicomte  of  Brage- 
lonne,”  with  other  volumes  of  the  prolific  chron- 
icles of  France,  “The  Forty-five,”  “Marguerite  of 
Valois”  and  the  “Lady  of  Monsoreau.”  These  to- 
gether make  up  eight  volumes  of  the  ten,  the 
others  are  given  to  the  incomparable  “Monte 
Cristo,”  probably  the  greatest  romance  ever 
written.  The  translations  are  good,  though  some- 
what pedestrian,  and  we  understand  were  made 
especially  for  this  edition.  Compared  here  and 
there  with  their  predecessors,  especially  in  the 
case  of  Monte  Cristo,’  they  show  a decided  gain, 
where  indeed  there  was  much  room  for  it.  Each 
story  has  an  introduction  and  a cast  of  charac- 
ters which  will  be  found  very  helpful  for  refer- 


From  "Kim"  (Doubleday,  Page  & Co.). 


ence.  A critical 
study  of  the  novelist 
by  Professor  Cohn, 
of  Columbia,  is  pre- 
fixed to  “M  o n t e 
Cristo.”  That  task 
could  have  fallen  to 
no  more  competent 
hand.  Well-executed 
illustrations  add  to 
the  attractiveness  of 
the  volumes.  The 
work  appears  in 
several  forms  at 
prices  varying  from 
$10  to  $25. 

Kingsley’s  “Hy- 
patia,” too,  comes  to 
us  as  an  old  friend 
with  a new  face  in 
the  Century  Classics 
(Century  Co.,  $1.25 
a vol.),  in  which  it 
fills  two  olive  green 
and  beautifully 
printed  volumes. 

There  is  an  appreciative  introduction  by  Edmund  Gosse,  who 
knows,  as  we  all  do,  that  there  are  anachronisms,  trivalities  and 
weary  spots  in  “Hypatia”;  that  the  wear  and  tear  of  a half  cen- 
tury has  not  left  it  quite  intact,  but  yet  feels  that  it  is  still  “a 
splendid  and  an  invigorating  tale.”  The  charm  of  it,  as  he  goes 
on  to  say,  “consists  in  the  fact  that  Kingsley,  Anglican  priest  as 
be  was,  with  all  the  prejudice  and  ignorance  and  formalism  of  the 
age  pressing  around  him,  contrived  to  color  it  with  a drop  of  that 
divine  intoxication  of  youth,  which  draws  us  all  back  from  the 
dulness  of  modern  existence,  and  which  constitutes  the  dangerous 
and  perennial  charm  of  antiquity.” 

Latest  of  the  editions  of  Thackeray  that  recur  with  refreshing 
frequency  is  one  that  comes  to  us  from  The  Macmillan  Co.,  edited 
by  Walter  Jerrold,  with  illustrations  by  Charles  E.  Brock,  which 


Captain  Mahan. 

From  “Types  of  Naval  Officers”  (Little, 
Brown  & Co.). 


The  Churchman 


paper  Row.  The  whole  volume  is  made  attractive,  indeed  to 
many  purchasers  will  be  chiefly  attractive,  because  of  the  il- 
lustrations by  Hanslip  Fletcher,  some  of  them  pen-and-ink 
drawings,  others  apparently  reproductions  of  sepia  or  wash 
sketches,  but  all  artistic  and  well  executed.  The  protean 
character  of  London,  as  indeed  of  every  great  metropolis,  is 
suggested  by  the  kaleidoscopic  character  of  the  index,  which, 
like  misery,  makes  strange  bedfellows,  but  seldom  stranger 
than  here,  where  Christie’s  elbows  the  Church  Army  and 
Bird  Life  in  London  is  cheek  by  jowl  with  Bermondsey's 
University  Settlement,  while  Starlings  accompany  the 
Stock  Exchange. 

Similar  in  design,  and  beautiful  in  illustration,  are 
Claude  de  la  Roche  Francis’s  two  volumes  on  “London, 
Historic  and  Social”  (Coates),  an  author  otherwise  un- 
known to  us,  but  who  has  evidently  made  a very  careful 
study  alike  of  present  conditions  and  of  the  monuments  of 
the  past.  His  work,  though  of  necessity  somewhat  unsys- 
tematic, differs  from  the  preceding  volume  in  the  strictly 
chronological  arrangement.  It  is  a history  of  the  city, 
similar  in  scope,  though  very  different  in  treatment,  to 
Gregorovius’s  monumental  history  of  Rome.  The  period  be- 
fore the  Plantagenets  is  dismissed  briefly;  that  stock,  with 
the  Tudors  and  Stuarts,  occupy  the  first  volume  and  a 
quarter  of  the  second;  the  rest  is  given  to  the  Georges  and 
Victoria,  with  a chapter  describing  the  ceremonial  attend- 
ing the  change  of  succession  at  the  close.  There  are  useful 
chronological  tables  and  a full  index. 


Picturesque  Pilgrimages. 


From  “D'ri  and  I”  (Lothrop  & Co.). 

may  occasionally  make  us  regret  Thackeray’s  own,  but  yet 
have  a great  deal  of  artistic  merit.  “Vanity  Fair”  in  this  edi- 
tion fills  three  small  octavo  volumes  ($1  each),  agreeable  alike 
to  hand  and  eye.  The  edition  promises  to  be  a popular  one. 

Geraldine  Brooks’s  “Dames  and  Daughters  of  Colonial  Days” 
is  an  old  friend  commended  to  our  readers  last  November. 
These  ladies  are  presented  to  us  this  year,  however,  in  more 
beautiful  attire  and  with  them  come  their  chil- 
dren in  a companion  volume,  “Dames  and 
Daughters  of  the  Young  Republic.”  (Crowell, 

$4;  half-calf,  $7.50  the  set.)  The  latter  vol- 
ume, with  which  we  are  alone  concerned  here, 
gives  us  brilliant  sketches  of  Dorothy  Madi- 
son, Sarah  Jay,  Theodosia  Burr,  Elizabeth 
Patterson  (Madame  Bonaparte),  Martha  Jeffer- 
son, Rachael  Jackson,  Dorothy  Hancock,  and 
Emily  Marshall.  Madam  Hancock  might  have 
found  a place  as  appropriately  in  the  former 
volume.  The  others  are  distinctly  of  the  young 
republic,  and  these  sketches  of  them  bear  in- 
teresting and  often  amusing  witness  to  chang- 
ing manners,  and  the  developing  national  in- 
dividuality. They  were  stately  and  conserva- 
tive still,  but  much  less  formal  and  increas- 
ingly democratic  as  time  passed  on.  Dorothy 
Hancock  would  hardly  have  felt  comfortable 
in  the  society  of  Rachael  Jackson.  The 
daughters  of  Colonial  Days  were  not  wont  to 
write  to  their  fathers  as  Theodosia  did  to  Aaron 
Burr,  that  she  didn’t  know  whether  to  be  sorry 
or  mad  at  his  silence;  nor  can  we  imagine 
our  pre-Revolutionary  worthies  beseeching 
their  children  not  to  scold  and  pout  at  their 
conduct,  as  did  this  indulgent  father. 

London  with  Pen  and  Pencil. 

“Imperial  London,”  by  Arthur  H.  Beavan 
(Dutton,  $4),  is  full  of  antiquarian  lore,  loving- 
ly gathered,  and  of  pictures  of  the  modern  life 
of  the  great  metropolis,  its  merchants,  its  criminals,  its  literary 
and  scientific  circles,  its  law  courts,  transportation  service,  and 
the  rest,  the  whole  ending  with  what  to  us  was  one  of  the  most 
interesting  chapters,  journalistic  London,  revealing  a state  of 
things  quite  different  from  our  own,  and  seeming  just  a little 
humdrum  to  one  who  emerges  on  it  from  the  bustle  of  News- 


Among  the  volumes  that  with  pen  or  camera  try  to  bring 
before  us  foreign  life,  none  has  more  exotic  charm,  more 
individuality,  than  Lafcadio  Hearn’s  “Japanese  Miscellany.” 
(Little,  Brown,  $1.60.)  Like  those  shadowings  to  which  he 
treated  us  last  year,  this  volume  begins  with  a group  of  six 
“strange  stories,”  translated  from  the  Japanese,  especially 
remarkable  because  of  a certain  weird  vividness  of  local 
color  in  them.  Some  folk-lore  gleanings  follow,  in  which  we 
are  told  of  the  songs  of  Japanese  children,  of  dragon-flies, 
and  the  poetry  that  they  evoke,  and  of  the  name-lore  of  the 
Japanese.  Then  there  are  studies  here  and  there — beside  the 
sea  it  may  be,  or  in  a hospital,  and,  most  ghastly  of  all,  yet 
worth  pondering,  perhaps,  by  our  missionaries,  “The  Case  of 
O-Dai,”  a poor  little  woman  cast  out,  flung  into  the  furnace 
as  it  were,  “only  perhaps  to  furnish  one  example  of  facts  that 
every  foreign  missionary  ought  to  try  to  understand.” 

From  Japan  Mrs.  Lee  Bacon  will  carry  us  to  Egypt  in  “Our 
Houseboat  on  the  Nile”  (Houghton.  Mifflin,  $1.75),  interestingly 

illustrated  with 
water-colors  and 
wash  drawings 
by  her  husband, 
Henry  Bacon. 
The  account  of 
the  journey 
which  carried  the 
party  two  hun- 
dred miles  from 
Assuan  to  t h e 
Second  Cataract 
and  well  into 
Nubia  is  graphic, 
and  told  with  no 
little  humor.  The 
illustrations  are 
more  than  usual- 
ly attractive.  We 
lay  down  the 
book  with  the 
impression  that 
Mrs.  Bacon  must 
have  been  a 
most  admirable 
travelling  c o m- 
panion,  and  the 
hope  that  we  may 
have  the  pleasure 
of  her  company 
on  another  jour- 
ney. 

The  service 

that  Mrs.  Bacon  has  done  for  Egypt  is  done  for  Southern  Italy 
by  Norma  Lorimer  in  “By  the  Waters  of  Sicily”  (Pott,  $1.75), 
a very  charmingly  illustrated  and  well-written  volume,  cast  in 
the  form  of  letters  to  a girl  friend  at  home,  with  all  the  zest 
of  travel,  yet  with  an  eye  for  the  beautiful  in  nature  and  art, 
and  a rare  power  of  sympathetic  appreciation.  No  letters  from 


From  “The  Tory  Lover”  (Houghton,  Mifflin  & Co.). 


The  Churchman. 


and  a personal  point  of  view.  Six  photogravures  and  a 
generous  selection  of  other  illustrations  enhance  the  at- 
traction of  the  volume. 

But  perhaps  many  of  our  fireside  travellers  will  prefer  a 
patriotic  journey  nearer  home.  To  these  we  commend 
heartily  “The  Mohawk  Valley:  Its  Legends  and  its  His- 
tory,”by  W.  Max  Reid  (Putnams,  $3),  with  many  attractive 
illustrations  from  photographs  by  Arthur  Maney.  The 
annals  of  this  Mohawk  valley  are,  as  our  romancers  since 
Cooper  have  not  failed  to  remember,  filled  with  deeds  of 
heroism,  tragic  sacrifice  and  brilliant  success.  Every 


From  “Tlie  Right  of  Way”  (Harper  & Brothers). 
Copyright,  1900-1901,  by  Gilbert  Parker. 


Sicily,  not  even  the  German  Platen's,  have  given  us  greater 
pleasure  than  these. 

Most  artistic  in  illustration  of  all  these  volumes  is  Mr. 
Charles  W.  Wood’s  “Glories  of  Spain"  (Macmillan,  $3.50),  for 
he  has  depended  not  alone  or  chiefly  upon  the  camera,  but  on 
pen  and  pencil  and  etching  point,  and  some  of  the  illustra- 
tions are  mechanically  as  successful  as  any  that  we  recall. 
This  is  especially  the  case  with  those  inserted  in  the  text,  of 
which  the  Cloisters  of  St.  Pablo,  Barcelona,  on  page  209,  is  per- 
haps the  most  successful  among  many  examples.  In  the  full- 
page  illustrations  we  expect  the  best,  and  we  are  not  disap- 
pointed. Here,  too,  the  text  is  lively,  full  of  personal  ex- 
periences and  touches  of  local  color  that  make  it  very  at- 
tractive. His  success  in  catching  impressions  of  this  most 
romantic  of  European  countries  is  hardly  less  than  Gautier’s. 
It  is  evident  that  Mr.  Wood  knows  his  subject,  and  no  less 
evident  that  he  loves  it. 

From  Spain  it  is  natural  to  cross  the  Pyrenees  and  beyond 
them  Mrs.  Elizabeth  W.  Champney  greets  us  with  the 

“Romance  of 
the  Renais- 
s a n c e Cha- 
teaux” (P  u t- 
nam,  $3),  in 
which  she 
treats,  in  the 
fashion  made 
familiar 
by  her  book  on 
“French 
Feudal 
Ch  a t e a ux,” 
many  famous 
and  some  il- 
1 u s t r i o u s 
monuments  of 
French  aris- 
tocratic 
a r c h i t e c- 
ture,  all  of 
which  are 
memo  r a ble. 
The  exposi- 
tion is  given 
c o n t i n u- 
ity  by  a thread 
of  narrative, 


From  “Lazarre”  (Bowen-Merrill  Co.). 

town  has  its  historic  romance,  every  glen  its  prehistoric 
legend.  It  was  worth  while  to  gather  this  material,  and  it  has 
been  done  here  most  attractively. 

Captain  Mahan’s  Naval  Studies. 

Naval  literature  in  our  generation  owes  no  greater  debt  to 
any  writer  of  any  nation  than  to  the  author  of  the  “Life  of 
Nelson”  and  of  “The  Influence  of  Sea  Power  upon  History,”  a 
study  which,  as  is  well  known,  did  much  to  influence  the  policy 
and  legislation  not  alone  of  America  but  of  other  nations  also. 
It  is  natural,  therefore,  in  these  days  of  expanding  commerce, 
and  the  accompanying  growth  of  our  navy  that  this  increase 
necessitates,  that  public  as  well  as  professional  attention  should 
be  directed  to  this  distinguished  strategist’s  “Types  of  Naval 
Officers”  (Little,  Brown,  $2.50) ; and  it  is  natural,  too,  that  these 
types  should  be  drawn  from  the  history  of  the  British  Navy, 
to  which  in  past  generations  the  world  has  looked  for  its  ex- 
emplars and  guides  in  the  conduct  of  war  upon  the  sea.  For 
the  better  comprehension  of  the  contribution  of  each  of  the  six 
officers,  whom  he  has  selected  for  study,  it  was  necessary  that 
there  should  be  also  some  account  of  the  conditions  of  naval 
warfare  during  the  period  covered  by  these  studies — that  is 
from  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  to  the  advent  of 
the  navy  under  steam.  It  was  not  until  the  eighteenth  century, 
indeed,  not  until  well  the  middle  of  it,  that  what  we  know  as 
world-politics  began  to  interest  the  statesman,  and  that  the 
navy  began  to  have  the  great  national  importance  that  it  has 
since  attained.  Not  until  then  should  we  find  that  for  a Euro- 
pean quarrel  black  men,  in  Macaulay's  picturesque  phrase, 
“fought  on  the  coasts  of  Coromandel  and  red  men  scalped  each 


From  “Munchausen”  (Noyes,  Platt  & Co.). 


The  Churchman 


material  facts  of  his  story  are  true,  though 
what  befell  several  may  be  here  attributed  to 
one.  The  mountain  ram  occupies  the  largest 
place  in  his  narration,  and  seems  to  him  to 
typify  majesty;  then  the  cock  sparrow  claims 
attention  as  the  symbol  of  grace.  The  coyote 
is  a canny  child  of  wisdom  gathered  from  ad- 
versity, and  in  the  bear,  the  teal,  the  chink, 
and  even  the  kangaroo  rat,  he  finds  traits 
strangely  human.  Sometimes,  as  it  seems  to 
us,  his  imagination  leads  him  too  far,  and 
sentiment  verges  on  sentimentality;  but  he 
writes  with  such  fascinating  sympathy,  and 
his  work  is  so  delightfully  and  uniquely  il- 
lustrated, as  well  by  the  thumb-nail  sketches 
as  by  the  larger  pictures;  that  this  new  volume 
is  sure  to  find  a fresh  welcome  and  an  eager 
public. 

Animal  stories  of  a more  conventional  type 
are  gathered  by  Hermon  Lee  Ensign  under  the 
title  of  the  first  of  them,  “Lady  Lee.”  (Mc- 
Clurg,  $2.)  These  are  stories  of  horses,  dogs, 
cats;  or  of  those  animals  that  change  their 
nature  as  the  petted  companions  of  man,  the 
elephant,  the  monkey,  or  some  bird.  The 
stories  are  very  genially  told,  with  a sympathy 
that  is  hardly  ever  morbid,  and  the  illustra- 
tions add  much  to  the  attractiveness  of  the 
volume.  It,  too,  should  stimulate  generosity  at 
this  holiday  season. 

In  “Wild  Life  Near  Home”  (Century  Co., 
$2),  Dallas  Sharp  has  exploited  what  we  may 
all  see  on  a summer  outing  within  not  too 
many  miles  of  New  York,  or  wherever  our 
home  may  be,  in  this  Eastern  United  States. 
Considerable  parts  of  this  book  have  appeared 
in  various  magazines,  in  recent  years,  but  it 
was  well  worth  while  to  collect  in  a sightly 
volume  this  witness  to  what  a patient  and 
trained  observer  may  see  near  home.  The 
birds  are  his  special  favorites,  and  he  finds 
that  they  are  even  more  abundant  along  our 
high  roads  than  in  the  heart  of  the  forest, 
but  he  tells  us  of  fishes,  too,  of  squirrels,  rab- 
bits, muskrats,  and  other  living  things  that 
are  much  closer,  even  to  our  metropolitan 
civilization,  than  we  realize.  He  has  brought 

( Continued  on  Ihe  eighth  page  following.) 


From  “Warwick  of  the  Knobs”  (Dodd,  Mead  & Co.). 


other  by  the  Great  Lakes  of  North  America.”  Con- 
tinuity is  given  to  Captain  Mahan’s  studies  by  the  fact 
that  all  the  naval  heroes  here  mentioned  fought,  at 
one  time  or  another,  in  the  conflict  that  began  in  1739 
in  defence  of  the  rights  of  English  ships  to  frequent 
the  seas  bordering  the  American  dominion  of  Spain.  In 
this  contest  all  Europe  was  ultimately  engaged  with 
Asia  and  the  Islands  of  the  Pacific;  in  it  the  independ- 
ence of  the  United  States  was  involved.  Hawke,  Rod- 
ney, Howe  and  Jervis,  witnessed  the  entire  struggle, 
Saumarez  and  Pellew  its  close.  In  the  glory  of  the 
former  America  might  claim  a share;  the  latter  fought 
against  our  then  new  flag.  Yet,  though  thus  aLied  in 
blood  and  in  service  these  men  were  sharply  differen- 
tiated. Each  is  the  exponent  of  a class,  the  individual- 
ity of  each  contributed  to  the  efficiency  of  all,  and  the 
types  for  which  they  stand  are  permanent  in  the  naval 
service,  so  that  the  lessons  to  be  drawn  from  them  are 
applicable  also  to  to-day.  Four  of  these  studies  ap- 
peared some  years  ago  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  but  as 
presented  here  they  show  the  results  of  mature  revision, 
and  material  elaboration. 


Animal  Stories. 


A book  by  Mr.  Seton-Thompson  is  always  some- 
thing of  an  event  for  nature  lovers,  and  “Lives  of  The 
Hunted”  (Scribners,  $1.75)  takes  its  place,  as  of  natural 
right,  first  among  the  animal  stories  that  have  come  to 
us  this  season.  It  is  curious  to  contrast  Mr.  Seton’s 
idealization  and  personification  of  nature  with  that 
of  the  old  animal  fables  of  which  Reynard  the  Fox 
is  the  chief  illustration.  They,  as  a rule,  were  cynical. 
This  finds  in  animal  life  the  prototypes  of  what  is  best 
in  human  nature,  and  the  author  assures  us  that  the 


From  “The  Snow  Baby”  (Frederick  A.  Stokes  Co.). 


